Cap and shell fastening



Aug. 26, 1930. H. HUBBELL, JR

CAP AND SHELL FASTENING Filed March 15 1928 Patented Aug. 26, 1930;

PATENT QFFICB HARVEY HUBBELL, m, or. BBIiJGEroRr, oo'nnncrrcua'.

on? Am an FASTENING Application filed March 15, 1928. Serial No.261,819. a i

This invention relates to the enclosing shell for lamps'ocketsandthelike, particularly to the means for connecting the cap andbody sections of the shell together, andhas for an object to provide animproved cap and shell construction which willgive a smooth plainexterior to the cap. and in which the body and skirt portions of the-capmay be made in one piece. i Y It is also an object of the invention toprovide aconstruction which will positively lock the cap and bodysections of the shell together with a connection which will carryconsiderable weight, but which may be easily unlocked .15 topermitseparation of'the cap and .body.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised theconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming ing, r I

Fig. 1 is a. side elevation of. a lamp: socket with portions of the'capand body section broken away to show the connection between the cap andbody in section, the section being substantially on line 11ofFig. 2.

Fig.2 is a transversesection substantiallyon line 2-2 of Fig. 1 andshowing the insulating body for mounting the switch and lamp contacts inelevation. I 1

V Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation and partial section of the capindicating the notches formed in the edge of the skirt.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lower part of the cap showing thefree edgeportions between the notches folded toward the inner side ofthe cap.

Fig. 5 is aperspective View of the upper end of the body of'the shell,and v Fig. 6 is a detailed section through the securing means on theplane of Fig. 1, and on an enlarged scale. I

The shell illustrated is shown as enclosing theelements of alamp sockethaving a switch operated by'a pull chain. The detailed constructionofthis switch is not shown as it forms no part of my present invention.The shell comprises a cap section 10 and a-body section 11 made of sheetmetal in the usual manner, and enclosed by the body section is theblock12 of insulating material in which ated switch is used. r

are mounted the switch elements, not shown, and which also carries thescrew shell and. central lamp contacts not shown. .Itwill, of course, beunderstoodthat while I have shown this. shell, connectionasapplied to alamp socket, it is by nomeans limited to use therewith, as it may beused for enclosing shells of depending'switch'es and like devices. Thisinsulating block carries the usual bind- 1ng post screws 13'forconnecting lead wires 14 in the usual maner. The upper portion of thecap islined with a suitable fibre orother insulating lining 15, and thebody of the shell is lined with a similar lining 16en-- closing theworks of the socket. The body portion or the shell also has theusual-notch 17 extending longitudinally fromfthe "free end thereof forpassage of the guide v18 for a part'of this SPGClfiCltlOln- In thisdraw-.

the pull chain .19 foroperating-the switch, or the key for operating theswitch if a key oper .The cap is provided with a substantiallycylindrical skirt portion 20, and it isof somewhat larger diameter thanthe body of the cap I to provide a shoulder 21 on the inside of'the capspaced a'esuitable distance from the free endiof the skirt. This freeedge is provided with notches 22-at' suitably regular spaced dis;tancesthro-ughout its periphery and o'fsuite able depth. These notchesarepreferably substantially square or rectangular as shown. After thisfree edge of the skirt is notchedthe walls of the skirt between thenotches, and indicated at 23, are foldedover toward the body of thec'ap,,asindicated clearly in Fig.

. 4, and preferably toward theinner wall of the cap so that they will beout of sight in the finished shell. It will be apparent that in thisPOSltlOIl'thG free edges 2st form shoulders adjacent the inner wall ofthe cap and spaced in- 9G wardly from the free edge of the cap, and theportions 23 carrying theseshoulders are separated hy the notches 22. i

It will'also be, apparent that the notches have-become openchannels 22when portions 5 I 1. Adjacent thefree end of this section it is wardly.This'will give a shoulder 27 on the lower end of thelug which extendsoutwardly from the face of the body. The'lugs of each pair are spacedfrom each other substantially the distance between the centers of two ofthe portions 23. Also between the lugs of one orboth pairs is providedanother outwardly extending lug or nib 28. A convenient way to form thismember is to provide two spaced slits extending longitudinally of thebody section and forcing outwardly the walls between the slits whichprovide shoulders 29 on the opposite sides of the lugs 28, and theselugs are made of awidth so that they may pass into the notches 22between the folded portions 23 of the cap. These lugs may be of shapesother than that shown. For example, they may be similar to lugs 25 withtheir shoulders extending longitudinally of the shell. y

In assembling the cap and body portions the free end of the body sectionis inserted in the skirt of the cap with the lugs 28 in any suitableopen channels 22. The portion 30 of the body section will yield inwardlysuficient to cause the lugs 25 to pass over the portions 23, and thenwill spring outwardly to cause the shoulders 27 on these lugsto engagethe 1 free edges of the portions 23, as shown in Fig; 1, and willsecurely lock the cap and body sections together. The lugs 28 willpreferably be seated in diametrically opposite channels 22 and the sideshoulders will engage the sides of these channels to prevent relativeturning J; movements of the cap and body sections in either direction,and so will prevent movement of the lugs or nibs 25 into alignment withthe channels to permit the separation of the cap and shell. The shoulder21 in the cap is so located as to lie adjacent the free end of the bodysection, as indicated in Fig. 1, to

prevent thissection rocking laterally in the cap and to limit movementof the body section intothe cap. If it is desired to separate F the capand body section all that is necessary is to press inwardly theyieldable portion 30 which will remove the lugs 25'carrie-d thereby fromengagement with the free edges 2%. Then the body or cap may be rockedlaterally to withdraw these lugs from the cap and the cap and body maybe easily separated.

It will be apparent that the skirt portion of the cap is in one piecewith the body portion thereof, and that a single thickness only isrequired, doing away with the extra enclosing ring which is now commonlyemployed in this type of devices. This structure also gives a smoothplain outer surface to the cap, giving the required neat and attractiveappearance. It will further be noted that if undue strain is placed onthe cap and body sections tendingto separate them, the pull of the lugs25 on the free edges of the folded portions 23 will tend to draw theseportions inwardly toward the lugs 25 and the body portion, so thatinstead of tending to draw away from these supporting edges 23 thisstrain tends to draw these supporting edges toward the base of the lugs25 and increase the holding effect. This, therefore, gives a very strongconnection between the cap and body sections which will safely sustainthe considerable weight involved in the shades and'domes used.

Having thus described the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. A shell comprising a body section and a cap section adapted fortelescoping engagement, one of said sections having its free edgeprovided with notches and folded upon itself to provide shoulders andchannels open at both ends, the other section being provided withlaterally projecting lugs to engage said shoulders to secure thesections together, and

means to enter one of said open channels to prevent relative turningmovement of said sectlons 1n either direction.

2. A socket shell comprlsing telescoping cap and body sections, one ofsaid sections having its free edge portion notched and folded on itselfto provide a shoulder by the free edge and a channel open at both ends,and the other section being provided with a lug to enter said openchannel and with other lugs to engage said free edge to secure thesections against turning movements and against longitudinal separation.

3. A shellcomprising telescoping cap and body sections, said cap beingprovided with a series of notches in its free edge and the portionbetween said notches being folded inwardly toward the wall of the cap toprovide channels open at both ends, the body being provided withlaterally extending lugs to engage the free edges of said foldedportions to prevent separation of the cap and body, and said body alsohaving laterally extending lugs to enter in certain of the channels andengage the side edges thereof to prevent relative turning movementsbetween the cap and body.-

1. A shell comprising telescoping cap and body sections, said cap havingits free edge portion notched and folded inwardly on the body portionthereof to provide channels open at both ends, said cap being alsoprovided with a shoulder spaced inwardly from the free edge of saidfolded portion, said body section being provided with laterallyextending lugs arranged to engage said free edge to secure the sectionstogether and with another lug to enter one of said channels to preventturning movements of said sections in either direction, and the freeedge of the body section being adapted to engage said shoulder in thecap to limit relative longitudinal movements of said sections.

5. A shell comprising telescoping cap and body sections, said capsection being provided v with a series of notches in its free edge andthe portions between said notches being fold.- ed inwardly on the bodyof the cap to provide channels open at both ends, said cap being alsoprovided With a shoulder spaced inwardly from the free edges of saidfolded portions said body section having laterally extending lugs toengage the said free edges to v secure the sections together and otherlugs to enter the channels vto secure the sections against'relativeturning movements, and the free edge of said body section being adaptedto engage said shoulder to limlt relative longitudinal movement ofsaidsections.-

6. An enclosing shell for lamp sockets and similar devices comprisingacap having a series of spaced notches about its free edge and theportions between these notches folded over toward the inner wall of thecap to provide open channels open at both ends, and a body sectionadapted to have one end thereof inserted into said cap and carryingmeans to enter said channels and to engage the free edges of said foldedportions to secure the cap and body together.

7; A shell for electrical devices comprising a cap section having aseries of spaced notches about its periphery and the portions betweensaid notches folded inwardly toward the inner side of the cap to providechannels open at both ends, a body section having one end adapted to beinserted into the cap, said body section being provided with a notchleading from the end thereof'providing a yieldable portion at one sidethereof, said yieldable'portion having a lug to engage a free edge ofsaid folded portions and the body section being also provided withanother lug to engage a free edge of the folded portions on the oppositeside of the cap, and

' an additional lug on the body section adapted to enter one of saidopen channelsand engage the sides thereof to prevent relative turningmovements between the cap and body sections. I

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. 7

HARVEY HUBBELL, J R.

